Phillips said the most common orders issued related to exposure control and emergency plans.

“In general for rinks, the orders issued identified opportunities to improve existing exposure control plans and procedures designed to manage ammonia risks,” he said.

“For contractors, the orders issued reflect mostly enhancements to existing programs including work coordination with site operators.”

Phillips emphasized that none of the orders were written for deficiencies that presented high risk violations.

“Officers did not observe any high-risk violations or conditions that were immediately dangerous to life and health,” he said.

Since the Fernie arena tragedy, there have been a number of rink delays or closures due to ammonia safety concerns, including in Cranbrook, Crowsnest Pass and, more recently, Nelson.

When asked whether WorkSafeBC will push for a safer alternative, Phillips replied: “while that is outside our mandate, we know that ammonia is inherently hazardous and, as such, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that controls are implemented to ensure worker safety.”

WorkSafeBC has resources available online for employers to reduce the risks of ammonia in the workplace, visit Worksafebc.com.